Hope

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge." - Psalm 62:5-7

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned in Cuba was about hope. Before the trip, I had a vague idea of what hope was, but I had never seen it lived out in the way the Cubans did. Previously, I thought hope was a sort of wishful thinking, a nonchalant prayer to God asking for something. But in Cuba, I learned that my viewpoint of hope was completely wrong.

Hope is so much more than a wish or a want - it's putting your complete faith in God, the source of your hope. Psalm 62 outlines why our hope comes from God. It is because He ALONE is our rock and salvation, our fortress and our refuge. Apart from Him, nothing else matters. He is the beginning and the end, which is why our hope must come from Him and be placed in Him.

If we place our hope in other things, such as relationships, money, and worldly things, we will be disappointed. Yet God never disappoints, for He is sovereign and good.

I saw these principles at work in the people of Cuba. Despite the not so great accomadations and the persecution of the church, they hoped in God, and trusted that He would pull them through the tough times. Their passion and their love for God shone through in their prayers, their worship, and in their lives. To them, hope was more than wishful thinking - it was putting their complete trust in the Lord and waiting on him.

What a great lesson to learn!

Taymy and I - our interpretor who taught me a lot about hope!

The kids learning a new English song during youth group